Technician Dietetic Research (rotating weekend)

Research Diet Technician

Responsible for assisting the dietitian in the provision of nutrition services to a broad patient population. This includes appropriate meals, between-meal nourishments, and special formulas required by each individual patient.

Essential Functions:

• Assists dietitian in the assessment of nutritional needs.
• Interviews patients to identify food preferences, allergies, and nutritional status.
• Assesses patient calorie counts, percentage of food consumed by the patient, conducts meal rounds, diet restriction monitoring, etc.
• Maintains pertinent records.

Qualifications:

• Education: High School Diploma or Equivalent required or Associate's Degree Dietetics preferred.
• Can this role accept experience in lieu of a degree? No.
• Licenses and Credentials: Dietetic Technician, Registered [DTR/NDTR] - Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) preferred.
• Experience: Dietetic technician experience with multiple patient populations 1-2 years preferred.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Good communication skills. High level of service delivery. Attention to detail. Computer proficiency.

Additional Job Details (if applicable): Under direct supervision of the Metabolism & Nutrition Research Director/Manager and within hospital and departmental guidelines, the Research Diet Technician (RDT) performs a broad range of responsibilities to support research studies on the Translational & Clinical Research Centers (TCRC) on WHT 12/13 and other MGH sites.

Research participant meal/snack service:

• Maintains daily meal board with updates throughout the day to communicate participant meal and snack requirements.
• Assists research participants with menu selections and processes menus using a computerized menu system. Demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to provide age-appropriate (toddler to elder) nutrition care appropriate to the participant population served in the research unit.
• Prepares and serves meals and snacks to inpatient and outpatient research participants. Manages tray delivery and pick-up.
• Identifies and reports pertinent information from research participant contacts to research dietitian regarding food acceptance, preferences and menu selections.
• Assists in the development, including tasting, of recipes and meals according to research protocol specifications.
• Monitors and documents food intake.

Metabolic kitchen equipment:

• Operates and maintains equipment according to manufacturer and unit standards for safety and sanitation microbalance scale, gram scales, refrigerators, freezers, dish machine, electric stove top/oven, and miscellaneous small equipment.
• Performs daily/weekly equipment calibration and documentation. Reports deviations to Research Diet Technician Team Lead.
• Monitors dish washer, refrigerator and freezer temperatures. Reports deviations to Research Diet Technician Team Lead.
• Completes daily, weekly and monthly cleaning of the metabolic kitchen. Maintains hospital and public health sanitation standards throughout the kitchen.

Weighed meals:

• Weighs, measures, prepares, labels and stores all foods, beverages and nutrient supplements using prescribed methods for the research diet and according to a specified meal plan.
• Completes meal pack-outs for research participants to include all appropriate food items for all research meals.
• Monitors and reinforces food intake for compliance to special meals and informs research dietitian of refusal. May need to re-weigh special foods.
• Weighs research "products" that may include peanut flour, oat flour, milk powder, amino acids or other "products". Maintains documentation of inventory for special food or research "products".

Metabolic kitchen food and supply inventory:

• Completes standard food and non-food supply inventory and requisition; and picks-up food items/ingredients.
• Monitors food quality including expiration date, temperature control, labeling and storage.
• Ensures that food and non-food supplies are available for next day production.

Assists research dietitians:

• Under guidance of a research, registered dietitian (RD), will assist in supporting participant flow, metabolic nutrition assessments, supply stocking, equipment cleanliness, visit set-up and other assigned duties.
• Completes data entry corrections of food and supplement intake.

Rotating every third weekend (Saturday and Sunday - 8-10hr shift), plus additional hours during the week if needed (4hr shift)

Onsite

Work Location: 55 Fruit Street

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 0

Employee Type: Per Diem

Work Shift: Rotating (United States of America)

Pay Range: $18.30 - $26.58/Hourly

Grade: 3